Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. A silvery-white metal that ignites easily in air and burns with a bright light.

Magnesium is one-third less dense than aluminium. It improves the mechanical, fabrication and welding characteristics of aluminium when used as an alloying agent. These alloys are useful in aeroplane and car construction.

Magnesium is used in products that benefit from being lightweight, such as car seats, luggage, laptops, cameras and power tools. It is also added to molten iron and steel to remove sulphur.

Casting, rolling, extruding, and forging techniques are all employed with the alloys, and further fabrication of the resulting sheet, plate, or extrusion is carried out by normal forming, joining, and machining operations.

Magnesium is the easiest structural metal to machine and has often been used when a large number of machining operations are required. Magnesium alloys have a number of applications: they are used for parts of aircraft, spacecraft, machinery, automobiles, portable tools, and household appliances.